I'll posted a row of photos from outside, guards changes, inside, some details and from the Korean Folk Museum just on the outskirt.

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Entrance, guards position at the gate, and changing of the guards:

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Inside the main gate:

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The Kings chamber house (notice the protective details on the roof):

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Other buildings and structures at/around the palace:

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From the Korean Folk Museum at the palace (from really early korean coulture):

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How the palace and city around it was in earlier days:

Its a long time since I was there now - and to be frank I dont remember that much details - and I was walking around here with no guiding or knowlege before I went there, - but still it was a very plessent trip and experience - even it was freecing cold :-)

ps please comment the photo if you like, and grade it from 0 to 10(best) after your liking

On my second morning in Phonom Penh and Cambodia, the group I had joined for my first week in Cambodia had plans to visit the Royal Palace. And after visiting the S-21, the Killing Fields and the Market already on the day before, - I thought I might as well join them. Not my top choice for sightseeing in general, - but still a nice way to get into the feeling of beeing a tourist :-)

The King of Cambodia still lives in the Royal Palace, - or actually in Khemarin Palace whitch is situated a little bit away from the rest of the buildings. We paid 3 usd to get in, and we mostly had to follow a 'more or less' english speaking guide around the royal aria. The guide was apointed to us then we came, and was included in the entrance fee.

Then there was an additional fee of 2 usd for each photocamera, and 5 usd for each videocamera! - And with knowlege of that many of the places inside where "No Photo Inside" we decided to just buy one "camera fee", and I ended up walking around with 3 cameras, switching among them so all 3 owners would get some nice photoes of their choices :-) and I promiced to send my photoes to the others after finally comming back to my city Stavanger (Norway) the next year. (hmmm Thinking of this is giving me a bit of bad conscience now, - maybe it's time to mail Tore in "Bike for Peace" to get the adresses of group members - so I can send them all the photoes I promiced ;-) )

It was really a hot morning and day in Phnom Penh, and it was always good to get under roof from the burning sun everytime we went in a new building. First impressive one was the Throne Hall, where we only was allowed to entrance a couple of meters, - as they was preparing a big ceremony for the next day, - and in this, as the other buildings there was "No Photo Inside" signs everywhere. The Throne Hall was a nice open building mostly in gold, yellow and white colours. In the middle of the hall we could see servants starting to build up a pile of nicely wrapped presants. We were told that the presants was the Kings gifts to the guests on the next days ceremony.

We also were admitted to a building presenting the Kings, and his familys uniforms and old royal items, and then the famous Silver Pagoda. The Silver Pagoda itself was not so impressive, but the floor was covered by many tousands pure silver tiles, and the inner part of the pagoda was containing a marvelous collection of valuable buddhas, all in different positions, sizes and materials. For me - some of the buddhas made of exclusive bright green Jade was an amazing sight!

Outside the Silver Pagoda was the Royal Garden, and its placement inside the high walls and the various Royal buildings, the many small manicured tropical gardens were standing out like ornate islands rising from the concrete tiles that make the ground around the Silver Pagoda. It was nice and quiet to walk around there, - looking at this strange and still beautiful mix of manmade dead concrete ground, and rich tropical and fertile vegetation within its stright limitation.

Absoulutely a nice place to relax and meditate, - and I can easy see myself getting more peace of mind here, then out in the traffic of Phnom Penh... ;-)

ps please comment the photo if you like, and grade it from 0 to 10(best) after your liking

The day after we had an All-Day-Trip on the Inle Lake, me and the autralian traveller I met two days before, decided to do some more sightseeing in the aria, as we both planned to leave the next morning on a long bumpy busride to Yagoon. So we decided, after a whole day mostly sitting in a boat, and with the next day expecting 20++ hours on a bumpy bus, - to get some excercise and take a good walk in the nearby hills, and see some local villages. After all, the town at Inle Lake was a little more touristy than we prefeered, and we hoped to see some more of the "real life of people in Myanmar"

So we made a deal with the recommended guide at the hotel, and paid 7 usd each for the services of a half day foot guiding(, whith we thought was a little expencive compared to the total 10 usd for boat, boatdriver/guide and gasolin a whole day, the day before). We also after some consideration payed him anouther couple of dollars for a "traditional" meal made by his wife after the walk.

But back to the moment on the photo, after many stops, meeting lots of people on our way, and many more and some less interesting things along the way suddenly this young boy appear on our path, walking towards us untill he saw us. Then he stopped, and take a stand just outside the path, looking toward us shyly, not really daring to look directly at us. We stopped of course, watching him back and smiling to this cute shy boy, poorly dressed in just a t-shirt and a traditional longy, just as most kids in this aria (and I guess most of Myanmar) were. The longy is a traditional garmet used instead of by both male and females in Myanmar, - basicly a very simple sarong.

To make sure he gave himself a reason to stand there watching us strangers, he keep open up and fixing his longy, like if he could not get it to fasten properly, repeatedly looking up toward us in a shy but courious way. :-) After a little our guide asked him his name, and if he did not go to the school this day. The shy boy barely answered, but told our guide that he had to work for his family this year, but he hoped to go to school next year. Our guide gave the boy a little bit of candy he brought along, and thanked him for answering, and we all wished him good luck, and we all went on our way...

ps please comment the photo if you like, and grade it from 0 to 10(best) after your liking

PhotoStory 0003: Khmer Traditional Dancing in Siem Reap

While in Cambodia, there is several things I belive is "Must Do/See's", and one of this was traditional Khmer Dancing. With fantastic costumes and gentle movements it is truely something to include in your trip to Cambodia.

I went to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh, and decided to stay in Earthwalkers GueastHouse while in Siem Reap. Earthwalkers GueastHouse is an excellent Guesthouse started be norwegian enthusiasts, and gives it profits to help out children without family and other local projects helping unfortunate cambodians in this vey poor province of Cambodia. Earthwalkers is mentioned in the Lonely Planet Guides, and is located about 1-2 km outside the centre of Siem Reap.

I was hoping to be as lucky to see a Khmer Dance Group concisting of children from the childrens centres run by Earthwalkers, but the actual night these was been hied by a very exclusive hotel , and it would cost me 100 usd to see the show, - and since this money would only go to the hotelowners profit, I decided to see other dancers to get this Khmer Dancing experience. The Earthwalkers personell was vey helpful, and found me another place/hotel to se a show with adult dancers.

And the dancing and costumes/outfits were truely amazing, and the gentle movements and dancing showing the stories was really captivating. It was hard to keep the eyes away from the girls doing the show at the stage, so I almost missed totally out on the buffee beeing served. I guess different dances from this part of the world looks a lot similar for us in the western, - I mean Thai dancing, minority dancing in China, Laos dancing and others has many of the similar feachers. But I must say the beautiful girls on this stage doing this fantastic Khmer Dancing in their amazing outfits, - was the most memorable danceshow on my trip in Asia...

So if you ever have the chance of experiencing the traditional Khmer Dancing, - do it :-) its a magic sight for sore eyes... both the dance itself, and the girls performing it...

Bagan is a historic town in Myanmar (Burma) witch is famous for a overwhelming number of temples, stupas and other religious buildings from the past. Most are buddist of course, as Myanmar is a country very dominated by buddist religion. I think there was only one hindu temple among the others. Ananda Temple is one of the most impressive of the many thousands of structures… The guides told me there was over 4400 stuctures in/around Bagan, without me counting/controlling those figures…

The photo is of one of 4 golden, standing buddhas in Ananda Temple, probably the eastern buddha of the four. I took the photo without flash and keept it still by holding it still on the floor, - trying to get both the buddha and the 2 women praying & putting sacrifice in front of it…

It was very peaceful in the temples, and my guide drove me around between the sites in a horsewagon,- whitch was the normal type of taxi/transportation in Bagan.

in the Shan State in Myanmar. We paid 10 usd for a whole day of boating and sightseeing on and around the lake, - from morning till after sundown. This photo I took on the start of our way back over the lake, and I got this shot of very young leg-rowing fisherman doing his laft fishing for the day…. The Full-Moon is already up behind the young fisherman, and will within an hour be the only light for the boy in the boat.

are especially famous for this special leg-rowing technique the fisherman use from their small boats - trying to get both their arms avalable for handeling the fishernets, or fisherbaskets…

The fishermen are general well aware of their attaction for the tourists, and often start padling with their legs then they see tourists are closing in on them, without demanding any money for their “modelling”.

News: Photostories

It's said that a photo can tell you more than 1000 words, but many of my photoes will tell me a lot more than you, as there might be a story around/behind it… So I'm going to start something I will call "Photostories", where I blog around a single photo, or a series of photoes from the same place.

I plan to write a little every day I feel I have some enougth free minutes …and I plan to pick a random photo out of my “portefolio” from my travel, and write a little bit about/around it…

Also, I still have travelstories/summaries from half my trip left to write... from Malaysia, Singapore, Phillipines, Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. I'm not sure then I get time to write those, + put out photoes from the countries, but its on my list..

Take care all of you, and enjoy the photostories, - and dont be afraid of giving any requests/ask questions... if you have any wishes ( mail to egil.viking@gmail.com )